


The Long Weekend

by CameronMorris24



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hargrove Lives, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Happy Ending, M/M, Mutual Pining, Period-Typical Homophobia, Sleepovers, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23161885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CameronMorris24/pseuds/CameronMorris24
Summary: The whole thing started because Steve could never say no to Joyce Byers.orThe Coronavirus inspired Harringrove quarantine fic nobody asked for
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Steve Harrington, Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 6
Kudos: 162





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> AU where Billy lives and the Byers don't move away
> 
> First time posting, the result of too much social distancing

The whole thing started because Steve could never say no to Joyce Byers. I mean she'd been through so much, first with Will, then losing Bob, now losing Hopper and trying to raise El... The woman was a saint. So anytime she needed anything, especially when it came to the kids, Steve was there. 

He was lying around the house on a lazy Friday morning when the phone rang. After the so called "Battle of Starcourt" as the kids had insisted on calling it, Steve decided against going away to school and decided to take classes at community college and commute from home. It wasn't that Steve was afraid to go away or anything, but after everything that happened, he realized how much there was left in Hawkins. I mean, the kids needed him, Joyce needed him, Robin liked having him around, even though she'd never really admit it. It was the first time in his life Steve ever felt like someone needed him around. Like he was important, not in the stupid King Steve kegstand way. Like, an actual important part of someone's life. Plus, since he was actually going to college, his parents started giving him an allowance again, so he could bump down to only two days a week at Family Video, much to Robin's chagrin.

"Steve, sweetheart, I need a favor!" Joyce said, sounding as harried and urgent as she usually did.

"What's up, Mrs. B? Kids break the VCR again? I think I left tools over there last time, I--"

"No, honey, Jonathan came home from work early from work, it looks like he's got that terrible new flu that's going around and I can’t risk the kids catching it, they’ve already missed so much school and... Is there any way the kids can stay at your place this weekend? I know your parents are out of town and I would've sent them to the neighbors, but your house is the only place besides home that Will can get any rest, and El--"

Steve knew Joyce would've kept going for the rest of the day if he'd let her and plus, he knew he couldn't say no anyhow.

"Of course," Steve cut her off, "You know it's no big deal"

"Ugh, you're a lifesaver", Joyce replied, "I'll drop suitcases and groceries off before the end of the day, if you can pick the kids up from school and drop them off on Monday, I'm sure Jonathan will be better by then. You're my hero, Steve Harrington, byeeeeee" she shouted into the phone as she hung up. Steve wondered if Joyce ever stopped moving, even when he had dinner over there, he couldn't remember if she ever even sat down to eat. She was the real hero, Steve was just a glorified babysitter with a big screen TV and nothing better to do with a January weekend.

Steve really didn't mind watching the kids, especially Will and El. After Starcourt, there were only a couple people in the world who really understood what he'd been through, who knew why Steve couldn't sleep through the night or why he still kept the bat beneath his bed or why he had to turn off "Red Dawn" as soon as he realized what it was about. They'd become a little family, a family of survivors. Even Erica got to hang out once in a while, when they weren't discussing official party business, of course. As for Billy, Steve hadn't seen much of him around after he got out of the hospital, but they had shared a flask at the First Annual MANDATORY Byers Family Christmas (that's actually what it said on the invitations) and BIlly had seemed almost... friendly? Civil?

Steve found himself starting to daydream about what Billy's life was like. He knew he worked at the garage downtown, hence why he was always in those greasy overalls. He knew he still worked out at the high school sometimes, probably because no one was going to stop him. I mean, who was going to say no to Billy Hargrove? Certainly none of the girls in Hawkins had learned that skill. Every party they were at together, Billy would disappear for a little while and come back with that signature grin, everything looking disheveled but the hair. Never the hair.

Daydreaming about Billy had become more of a part of Steve's life than he would care to admit. Ever since Robin's confession in the bathroom, Steve had a revelation of his own. I mean, the fact that he was interested in other guys wasn't a revelation at all. It had started as early as Greg Brady and by the time Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez came around, there wasn't really any doubt left. Most of the stories of King Steve's many conquests were exaggerations or rumors started by girls who wanted to enhance their reputation by being associated with him. He had really tried with Nancy, even managed to seal the deal with her just to see if he could make it work. But, he figured, if you have to think about Rob Lowe the whole time… Needless to say, Steve wasn't surprised he was gay, he was surprised that was a thing people called themselves, not just a playground insult. Like it was something he could own and not something he had to constantly try and get rid of. 

Robin was the only one who knew about Steve and vice versa and they both kind of liked it that way. Having their own little secret, a non-Russian secret, made their friendship seem like a lifelong relationship and not just the couple months they'd known each other. They'd point out potential mates for the other when they worked shifts together and speculate on who else they thought might also be part of the "Scoops Troop", as they termed it. It was a fun diversion from their otherwise mindless job, but more than that, it made Steve feel less alone. Like, maybe there really was somebody else in Hawkins who was thinking about him. Like, maybe there could be someone he could build a life with, even if they had to move to one of the coasts where there was a little less Reagan worship. Like maybe he wasn't going to be alone forever.

Steve shook off the thought before he could get too sad about it. All things considered, his life was pretty good, he didn't need a boyfriend or a whatever to make him happy. He was parked in front of Hawkins High School waiting for the kids and couldn't help but smile to himself. There was a time when this place was his whole world, but after monsters and Russians and the insanity that was the last year of his life, it was all a distant memory now. He was messing with the radio, trying to find a station playing the new Bon Jovi record when he heard a forceful knock against the passenger window.

"Benedict Arnold Harrington, unlock the door!"

Steve recognized the voice, especially in the shrill tone he was using now. As he reached over to unlock the door, Dustin never paused his angry monologue as he crawled into the car.

"How could you invite Will and Eleven over for the weekend and not the rest of the party? We stick together, Steve! We're in the middle of a pandemic, Steve! Plus, I'm supposed to be your little brother, Steve! My mom made you a sweater, how could you betray us like this?!" 

Dustin's voice somehow grew louder with every exclamation.

"I'm sorry Steve", Will said weakly from the backseat, "If I had known it was a secret, I wouldn't have told anybody we were coming over"

Dustin whipped his head around, "You wouldn't have told me?!"

"There's no secret, Will, don't be sorry" Steve grabbed Dustin to keep him from lunging into the backseat. "Dickhead, Mrs. Byers asked me if I could keep Will and El this weekend because Jonathan's sick. I did not invite them over for a secret sleepover, you paranoid hobbit."

"First of all, hobbit is a compliment, asshole, they were the only ones brave enough to carry the ring to Mordor! And second of all, why should Will and Eleven get to have all the fun without us? Steve???"

Steve just sighed and gently banged his head on the steering wheel. Winning an argument against Dustin was almost worse than fighting off the Demodogs, at least they could be stopped with a baseball bat. Dustin would just keep going and going until…

"Dustin?" Steve finally interrupted, feigning calmness, "Would you like to come over this weekend?"

"I'll be there!" Dustin smiled widely, knowing he had once again gotten one over on his adopted big brother

"Me too!"

"Us too!"

Steve whipped around to look out his window to see MIke and Lucas and Max standing there, accepting an invitation he hadn't really extended.

“Holy shit, you guys better bring snacks and stuff to do, I'm not your cruise director!"

They were already biking off by the time Steve finished his sentence.

"I really am sorry, Steve" Will said as he crawled into the front seat.

"Byers", Steve replied gently as he tousled his hair, "it's not your fault I'm a sucker."

He looked into the rearview mirror to see Eleven giggling at him.

"And what about you, don't think I don't know you're the mastermind of this whole plot, Small Wonder."

"Small Wonder?" She questioned from the backseat.

"She's the really cool robot girl from TV, like... nevermind"

Will turned around to help, "If he’s gonna call you Small Wonder, you call him Ferris Bueller, El, because he's sooooo cool"

"Yeah, Ferris Bueller", she echoed, clearly loving getting to be in on the joke. She and Will laughed, not at Steve, just into the cold air as they cruised downtown Hawkins. For two kids who had been through more than any two kids should ever have to go through in a lifetime, they both still seemed to retain a little bit of innocence. Seeing them have these little moments of joy made Steve feel like maybe they were all going to be alright... him too.

"You two aren't going to be teaming up against me all weekend, are you? Because I could just as easily drop you off at Mrs. Crenshaw's with all her cats!" Steve asked.

Will was such a good kid, Steve almost felt bad teasing him sometimes. But, he never wanted the kid to feel left out, so he still joked, but lighter than the others. Dustin was Steve's shadow, his little brother, they'd been inseparable ever since the Snowball and the Farrah Faucett secret. But, Will held a special spot in Steve's heart. He'd just been through so much and he had a tough life even before monsters and Steve just thought he deserved to still have as much of his childhood happiness as he could salvage. So, Steve always made sure to have his favorite snacks in the house, to make sure he was always on Steve's team when they played football or basketball, to make sure he always had a little pocket money, just in case. Will already had a big brother, what he needed was more... guardian angel. Not that Steve was an angel, but the first part he could manage.

"Never!" Will shouted, "We're team Steve!", without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. It was stupid, maybe, kids stuff, but he couldn’t deny the smile that appeared on his face.

"Team Steve!" Eleven added, poking her head between them into the front seat.

"With a team like this, I guess I can't lose..." Steve said as they cheered, and he couldn’t find a hint of sarcasm in his own voice either.

Will and El stayed over enough that they basically knew the routine. El stayed in the guest bedroom downstairs, she didn't like being upstairs in the “big house”, as she called it, and she liked to be able "sneak out" to get snacks in the middle of the night, as if Steve didn't notice the missing candy and Eggos in the morning. Will always slept in Steve's room, ever since the first time he'd seen it and his jaw dropped. "It's SO cool", he had told Steve, almost breathlessly. Steve didn't really think it was all that special, but Will made him feel like he really was Ferris Bueller. Joyce had told Steve that Will barely slept anymore after everything that happened last summer, but that first night, Steve had checked in to find Will dead asleep, even with MTV still blaring from the TV on Steve's nightstand. Ever since then, Steve had never said no when Joyce asked if the kids could sleep over. Steve always slept in the Master Bedroom. Most kids would think it was weird to sleep in their parents' bed, but Steve's parents were gone so much, that it didn't even feel like their bed anyway. Plus, they had a bigger TV in their room than Steve did, so it was hardly a sacrifice.

Just as everybody was getting settled in their usual places, Steve's phone rang again.

It was Lucas on the other end and without a greeting, started, "Steve, we need a favor!"

"Umm", Steve replied, "I think we're still in the middle of the last favor you didn’t ask me for"

"Max's parents are being super strict for some reason and they won't let her stay unless Billy can come and keep an eye on her!"

"Billy?" Steve asked and covered the phone so Lucas couldn't hear him stifle a groan.

"Yeah, long hair, earring, punched you in the face, got possessed by a mind flayer Billy. That's why I said it was a favor!"

"Lucas, I--" Steve started to protest, even though he could imagine worse people to have lounging around his house for the weekend

"Steve!" Lucas interrupted, "If he doesn't come, then Max can't! And it's SO mean to leave her out, Steve!"

"Okay, okay, tell her the whole family's welcome. But, you owe me!"

"You're the best, Steve, the best!"

Steve hung up the phone and pressed his forehead to the wall. How did Steve's quiet weekend alone turn into babysitting a houseful of teenagers with Billy freakin' Hargrove?


	2. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Gooooooddamn, Harrington”, Billy said, surveying the scene with his bag slung over his shoulder, “So this is how the other half lives”

Steve barely had time to collect his thoughts about being quarrantined with his big, embarassing gay crush when the phone rang again. Steve genuinely debated whether or not he should even answer it at this point, but his anxious nature got the better of him. Luckily for him, this time it was just Robin.

"I picked up the videos you asked for, dingus, anything else you need for your big weekend with the Bobsey Twins?"

"Turns out, it's not just Will and El, it's the whole party." Steve sighed into the phone, "...And Billy Hargrove."

"Holy shit, Harrington!" Robin was basically yelling by this point, "How the hell did that happen?!"

"Max couldn't come unless Billy did and of course, I let the kids talk me into it." Steve said, trying to sound frustrated, but barely able to contain his nerves.

"Oh shut up, shitbrain! I'm sure you really had to be convinced to have the hottest guy in Hawkins and the love of your freaking life spend a weekend with you! God, some guys have all the luck, I spend my whole life pining after the girls who come into the store, just hoping one of them will notice me and you get Billy Hargrove all to yourself for a whole weekend."

"Not all to myself, Robin. There's going to be a houseful of kids here all weekend and need I remind you," he lowered his voice just in case Will or El were nosing around, "He's not a part of the Scoops Troop. I'm just hoping to get through this weekend without any incidents coming up"

Robin laughed loudly into the phone, "You're gonna have to tape it down if you don't want your incident to be coming up all weekend."

"Gross", Steve retched into the phone, although he'd be lying if he said he hadn't been betrayed by his... incident around Billy before.

"I'll be by later with the videos, put a sock on the door if you and Billy are otherwise engaged..." She added with a suggestive tone in her voice.

"If you're gonna hang out, bring vodka. It's the only way I'll survive your cute little jokes."

"It's the only thing about Russia I can still enjoy! See you tonight, dingus!"

If Steve was nervous about spending the weekend with Billy before, now he was downright terrified. Could he really keep it together in front of him for a whole weekend? And if he couldn't, how would Billy react? The last thing he needed was a brawl in front of the kids. Well, actually the last thing he needed was to get his jaw broken by the guy he had a crush on, but that was really all semantics at that point.

Before Steve could get too deeply down the rabbit hole, his door flung open and a hurricane of hormones blew into his house in the form of Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max. Max ran right up to him and gave him a big hug and a "Thank you, thank you, thank you" right into his chest. The boys were all carrying duffel bags and grocery bags and board games and it looked more like they were moving in than spending a weekend.

"Where's the rest of it?" Steve joked.

"Don't worry, it's in the car!" Dustin shouted back, both missing the joke and scaring Steve to death at the thought of more. Then, the second thought hit him... The car? He poked his head out the window to see Billy smoking a cigarette sitting against the hood of his car. Had he drove all the kids here? That was uncharacteristically…

"Harrington!" Billy shouted from the driveway, interrupting his train of thought. "I am NOT sharing a bedroom with any of those little shits! And you better have some booze!"

And there it was.

It was already as loud as a rock concert in Steve’s house and Steve was already trying to corral the chaos and tell the kids that the cold stuff should go in the refrigerator and not on the counter when he heard a low whistle coming from the doorway.

“Gooooooddamn, Harrington”, Billy said, surveying the scene with his bag slung over his shoulder, “So this is how the other half lives”

Steve chuckled to himself. That was the exact same thing Robin had said the first time she came over. Steve had never thought of himself or his family as “rich”, but he was suddenly keenly aware of the size of the living room and the art on the walls.

“Yeah, it’s, uhh, it’s--” Before Steve could continue to stammer in embarrassment at his house, Billy unintentionaly spared him by cutting him off

“Just point me towards whichever corner of this palace I can crash on tonight, princess, and please tell me it’s soundproofed”

“Uhh, well, I thought maybe you’d just want to crash on the couch, since Lucas told me you were supposed to be keeping an eye on Max and she’s sleeping down here with El…” Steve trailed off after noticing the look on Billy’s face, somewhere between disdain and amusement.

“The couch, pretty boy? I book a night at the Harrington Hilton and you expect me to sleep in the lobby? Besides, Neil was the one who said I have to look after the shitbird, I could care less.”

“Well,” Steve said, Robin’s voice echoing in his head, “Then I guess that puts you in the Master Bedroom with me.” He worried the suggestion alone might be enough to earn a shot in the mouth from Billy, but instead, what he got was a Hargrove grin.

“The Presidential Suite with the King of Hawkins? Guess that’s an offer I can’t refuse.”

Billy made his way upstairs knocking Dustin and Lucas out of the way, but not angrily, almost… playfully? Steve thought he might be losing his mind until the boys came over and huddled on either of his shoulders.

“Does he seem,” Lucas started, hesitantly, “Almost… Friendly?”

“It’s gotta be a trick.” Dustin interjected, “This is Billy Hargrove we’re talking about. Yeah, he sort of saved our lives in the mall and he’s been less… murder-y since he got out of the hospital, but there’s no way he’s actually this chill. Something’s up and we have to be more guarded than ever!”

“Guys,” Steve assured them, “No one has more reasons to avoid Billy than me” If they only knew, he thought to himself, “But, he’s here and he seems to be in a good mood, so let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth, okay?”

“What the hell is a gift horse? Is that some kind of old person saying?” Dustin questioned him.

“Reeeeeeal good way to get your ass beat, Henderson. Real good.” Steve threatened and the boys backed off, participating in the laughable fantasy that Steve would ever actually lay a hand on one of the kids.

“Whose ass are we beating, Harrington?” Billy had somehow already re-emerged behind the boys, scaring the collective shit out of all of them, “Might be nice to be on the same side of a fight for once, right?”

By the time Billy had finished his question, Dustin and Lucas were almost all the way upstairs which seemed to amuse him to no end.

“Jumpy little fuckers, aren’t they?”

“Uhh, yeah,” Steve chuckled nervously, “I think maybe they still associate you with… rampant violence.”

“Huh,” Billy thought, as if almost taken off guard by the thought that the boys would associate him with the thing everyone else in Hawkins associated him with. “Maybe having someone around here they’ll actually listen to might actually come in handy”

“Hey!” Steve protested, somewhat seriously, “They listen to me… sometimes.” Steve conceded and they both shared a hearty laugh. It was the first time they’d ever had anything resembling… anything and Steve felt like he was already drunk. 

“I mean, I get it.” Billy pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table, “The last time you all saw me, I was possessed and the time before that I was beating the shit out of you, so…”

Steve sat across from him and didn’t respond. Partially, because he didn’t know what to say but partially because it looked like Billy could use somebody to just listen. But Billy didn't keep talking. They just sat there. And honestly, it should’ve been awkward, it should be the most uncomfortable feeling in the world, Steve thought, but it’s just… Wasn't. They were just there together and it’s like the most natural Steve had felt in, fuck, a year? Two years? And how in the hell was he feeling this way sitting at his dining room table across from Billy fucking--

“Steeeeeeeve”

Dustin’s voice shattered the moment as 12 little feet came rumbling at them. He answered by cocking an eyebrow at the herd.

“Pizza?”

“Well,” Steve responded getting up and walking towards the phone, “It’s either that or starve to death”

The kids cheered and Billy cracked a smile and Steve suddenly realized how carried away he was letting himself get. Billy Hargrove was not his boyfriend. Billy Hargrove was straight. These kids were not his family. His family was in Europe or Japan or Australia or where-the-hell-ever. Why the hell did he stay home from Notre Dame anyway? How did he let himself get convinced any of this was real? How did--

“Uhh, sir? Are you still there?”

Steve suddenly realized his existential crisis had come mid-order.

“Yeah,” Steve snapped back into reality, “And like four orders of breadsticks.”

“Okay, give us 20 minutes” came the bored and probably very confused voice on the other end of the line.

By the time Steve turned around, the kids were already setting up Clue and before the phone was even hung up, they were trying to cajole Steve into playing.

“C’mon, Steve, you and El have to play together” Mike was not so subtly reminding him. El was incredibly smart, and more perceptive (extraperceptive?) than anyone Steve had met in his entire life, but growing up in a lab meant she missed the finer points of childhood socialization, including board games. So Steve always “insisted” on being on her team and she never protested.

“I gotta get the VCR set up, guys, otherwise no movies tonight.” Steve half-lied. He really just needed a minute.

“But Steve, you--” Mike whined until--

“I’ll do it.”

Steve looked up. Did Billy Hargrove just volunteer for board games?

“You sure?” Steve gave him questioning look, “Because, I can--”

“You think I don’t know how to fuckin’ play Clue, pretty boy?” Billy gave him the glance back with a wry smile.

“No, I should’ve figured anything involving killing someone with a wrench would be right up your alley. And cool it on the F-Bombs in front of the children, will ya?”

“Harrington?” Billy stated calmly. “Fuck. Off.”

“Yeah, fuck off, Harrington!” Mike shouted and laughed back at him.

“Hey Wheeler,” Steve shouted over his shoulder as he walked into the den, “Don’t forget I nailed your sister”

This caused the whole party to erupt in “Ewwww” and “Gross” and “STEVE!” and caused Billy to laugh so hard he almost fell off his chair. El was the only one who was unaffected by Steve’s jab and pulled her chair up next to Billy’s and squarely declared

“Scarlett”.

Billy hunched over to meet her gaze.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Steve spent the next 20 or so minutes flailing at the wires at the back of the television because he couldn't even focus for ten seconds to remember which end was red and which was yellow. He had a house full of his favorite people and Billy Hargrove was acting downright chummy and yet somehow it made Steve… sad? But not sad, just like… Fuck he thought, When is Robin going to get here. Steve had all the feelings, Robin had all the words, it made their relationship work.

He finally managed to get a picture on the screen just as the pizzas and breadsticks arrived. The kids practically attacked the poor guy so Steve tipped him extra and gave a sympathetic shrug as he grumbled his way back to his car. As the delivery guy pulled out, Steve saw the bright blue pinto pulling up and heard the unmistakable sound of Pat Benatar blaring from the speakers.

Finally, Steve thought. Robin had come to save him.


	3. The Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fuck. Steve felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

Needless to say, the food didn’t last long.

After the dust had settled and all the dishes had been cleared (AKA the paper plates were thrown away), Robin presented the kids with the fruits of a full day’s labor at Family Video.

“Whoa, she brought everything!” Dustin said as he excitedly pawed through the bag of videotapes, “Friday the 13th, Night of The Living Dead, Oh my God, you brought us Porky’s!”

Just as quickly as Dustin lifted the videocassette in the air to show the other boys, Steve snatched it out of his hand.

“Absolutely no way, you’re not watching Porky’s!” Steve scolded them. He was keenly aware of how much he sounded like Joyce Byers in that moment, but just as quickly as Steve had snatched it from Dustin, Billy snatched it back from Steve and threw it over his head into the crowd of boys. They grabbed it and ran to the den as Steve turned to face Billy, in full disappointed babysitter mode.

“Seriously, Hargrove, they’re 14!” Steve chided Billy, still not able to shake the tone of Joyce’s voice.

“Oh my God, Mrs. Garrett, they’re high school boys, it’s not like they’re not already probably storing spank bank materials under their mattresses!”

Steve retched at the thought and Robin giggled.

“For that,” Robin said, turning to Billy and pulling out the fifth of Absolut she’d been hiding in her purse, “You get first pull.”

Billy smiled widely and drank until Steve thought he might drown.

“Now we’re talkin’!”

The three of them sat around the giant sectional sofa in Steve’s living room and as they did, Steve was confronted with a profoundly weird thought. He had technically known Billy Hargrove longer than he’d known Robin. And yet, in that short time, Robin had become his best friend and Billy had become his… something. Not worst enemy, because of the whole stupid embarrassing crush thing, but… antagonist? The thing living in the back of his head?

Steve’s thought was interrupted by Billy pressing the bottle into his chest. Steve took a long drink himself, not Hargrove long but long nonetheless, and rejoined the conversation.

“Were you at the quarry last Memorial Day?” Billy was asking Robin

“Hell no,” Robin shot back at him, “I don’t party there, Hargrove, if I want to get ogled by a bunch of douchebag cavemen in a quarry, I’ll get up early on Saturday and watch ‘The Flintstones’”

Billy laughed at that thought.

“You mean to tell me we spent our entire senior year of high school together and never crossed paths at a single party?”

“No, no, I was at the after-prom at Tommy’s house” Robin countered. Steve remembered the story of Tammy Thompson offhandedly inviting Robin to the party and so Robin had gone and spent the entire night trying to find her there. Turns out, she’d gotten too drunk at the pregame and spent prom night in the hospital with alcohol poisoning.

“Now that was a rager! You were there, Harrington, weren’t you?” 

“If you’ll remember,” Steve said, edging closer to Billy on the couch so he could poke him in the chest, “I ended up in the middle of the brawl you started by making out with Carol on Tommy’s bed!”

“I remember that!” Robin chimed in “I was watching from the roof!”

They all shared a laugh at that foggy memory. Neither Steve nor Robin had been much for parties after Starcourt. They’d still drink, just together and sometimes when Jonathan could sneak away from Nancy long enough, he’d score some weed and they’d sit around the pool in Steve’s backyard and smoke and laugh. It was more fun than going to parties, because they could be themselves. They could be honest. They could joke about monsters and Russians and not have to worry who was listening over their shoulders. 

“Well, well, well, looks like this is officially not the first time the three of us have shared a night together!” Billy mused. 

“Don’t forget about the other night we all shared together, Billy” Robin said.

“I don’t think there’s much chance of that, do you?” Billy shot back at her, losing his smile.

They sat in knowing silence for a moment.

“Well,” Steve started, uncharacteristically seriously, “We wouldn’t be here having this night, if it wasn’t for what you did that night, Billy, so, it’s not all bad memories.”

Billy breathed in slow and deep and ran his fingers through his hair. He suddenly looked far away and Steve frantically searched his brain for a way to get him back. Steve knew what it was like to go far away in the middle of a memory, too. He had gone to see a therapist after the night terrors got really bad. (Two towns over, his parents hadn’t wanted anyone to find out, of course) The guy said he had symptoms of PTSD, like the guys who had come back from Vietnam. Steve didn’t understand how he could possibly be that… affected until the doctor ran down the list of typical symptoms and it sounded like he was reading Steve’s journal. Steve had never considered before now, if he was this bad, then Billy must be--

“Well,” Billy composed himself, “If I had known it would lead me to this night drinking in the living room with you two… I might’ve reconsidered.”

The three of them laughed loudly in unison and it snapped Steve out of whatever dangerous rabbit hole he was about to think himself down. 

“I’m just glad we could steal you away from the ladies of Hawkins High for one night, Mr. Hargrove. Isn’t there someone you should be out deflowering tonight?”. Robin’s wit was one of Steve’s favorite things about her, she could tell a joke or twist an insult in just the right way where it stung but never hurt. Where it was was personal, but you wouldn’t take it personally. Steve couldn’t even order food if the waiter was cute.

“No, no, even a master gardener such as myself deserves a night off every once in a while.” Billy shot back and Steve realized how good they both were with words and he felt out of his league. Steve wasn’t stupid, he just wasn’t… quick. He’d rather write an essay than take a test and he’d almost rather be watching Porky’s with the boys than trying to go toe to toe verbally with Robin or Billy.

Except, of course, he totally wouldn’t. Because seeing his crush and his best friend sitting in his living room laughing and talking was like the alternate reality dream he never knew could come true.

“You never hooked up with anybody on the basketball team, Robin? I thought I’d heard those assholes, present company included”, he said as he returned Steve’s jab, “tell stories about every single girl at Hawkins High”

Robin and Steve both laughed, probably a bit too knowingly, before Robin caught herself.

“I-uhh,” she stammered, “I don’t date assholes.”

“Then what the fuck are you doing with this one?” He said, playfully punching at Steve

“Oh, we’re not-- Did you think we were dating?!” Steve asked incredulously.

“Dating, boning, whatever, Harrington, I don’t judge”

“Fuuuuuuuuck no!” Robin howled with laughter, “Steve? Hahahaha, never, NEVER”

“Whoa,” Billy raised his hands in defense, “Methinks the lady doth protest too much!”

Was that, Steve thought, was that Shakespeare? Was Billy Hargrove drinking vodka and quoting Shakespeare in his living room or had Steve been roofied?

“Hargrove,” Robin leaned into him really close, “That night after prom? I was on the roof making out with Cassidy Heller.”

Holy shit. Did Robin really just--

“Ahhhh, that adds up!” Billy remarked, “The only person who could be this close to Harrington for a whole summer and not end up falling in love had to be somebody who wasn’t into dudes. This. This checks out.”

“You’re not--” Steve blurted out

“Homophobic? I’m from California, dumbass, my mom campaigned for Harvey Milk. Besides, it’s the fuckin’ 80s, anybody on either coast is at least bisexual.”

“So, you’re bi, Billy Hargrove?” Robin asked pointedly, eyebrows raised.

“No.” Billy shot back, “I am not bisexual, Robin. Sorry to disappoint..”

The tension was broken by Max and El running into the living room from the den.

“Porky’s is bad.” El said declaratively.

“We’re going to the guest bedroom,” Max continued El’s thought, “We’re gonna paint our nails and-- oh my God, Billy you brought booze! What is wrong with you, this is a sleepover!”

“It--” Robin started before Billy cut her off.

“This is how I do sleepovers, kid, take it or leave it.”

“Ughhhh,” she groaned, “Robin, will you please make sure neither of these idiots forgets to lock up or drown in the pool or some shit?”

“I promise, I will lock up on my way out and make sure these two both have floaties on.”

Max and El ran off to the room as Billy looked accusingly at the other two.

“She’s gonna think I’m corrupting you two.”

“Now hold on,” Steve protested, “You did not have to take credit for that bottle!”

“Hold on, there must be some confusion,” Billy corrected with a smile, “I like that she’s gonna think I’m corrupting you.”

“Well boys,” Robin said, getting up from the couch, “I think I’m gonna leave you to it. Keep this,” She pointed to the bottle, “As a housewarming gift and call me tomorrow if you need any more reinforcements. Hargrove… It’s been fun.”

“That it has… that it has.”

Robin smiled at the door and made prolonged eye contact with Steve before waving goodbye and saying, “Night boys… don’t drown!”

Steve and Billy smiled at the door and then at each other before realizing that they were. 

“Well, Harrington,” Billy said, sprawling out even further on the couch, “We’ve covered my love life and Robin’s love life and-- Shit, I should’ve asked her if we had any overlap!”

“I’m sure you have”, Steve chuckled, “There’s only so many girls in this town”

“Ahh, thank you for reminding me of my point, pretty boy, we’ve covered me and Robin, what is going on in King Steve’s kingdom of love these days? Any fair maidens about?”

“Not, uh, really.” The sense of comfort Steve had achieved when Robin was there had suddenly vanished and Steve was back on high alert, just like stupid Dustin had said. “Just a dry spell, I suppose.”

“I don’t believe that for a second” Billy replied, probably innocently enough, but Steve bristled at the thought of Billy being able to see through his lie. He couldn’t change the subject fast enough.

“Why don’t you ever come hang, Billy? I mean, I thought we had a good time at Christmas--”

“Mandatory Christmas” Billy corrected

“Mandatory Christmas, you clearly don’t mind being around the kids! Hell, you’re actually good with them, you get along with Robin, you don’t seem to hate me anymore, so what is it?”

Billy stared at him for a second and suddenly sat up straight.

“Never been invited, Harrington.”

Fuck. Steve felt like he’d been punched in the gut. And he just sat there like an asshole searching Billy’s face for any sign of an emotion. Instead he got up and calmly declared

“I’m going to smoke in your garage.”

And he walked off.

How could that be true? Steve wracked his brain for any memories of inviting Billy to hang out with them. He thought of every time he’d gotten high with Robin and Jonathan, every time they’d hung out with Nancy, the four of them, every pizza party with the kids, every trip to the bowling alley, every movie night.

“Fuck!” Steve shouted, this time out loud in his now empty living room.

He sat there stranded between screaming and crying and puking and calling Robin because at least she’d be able to put words to the hell he was feeling at that moment. 

Finally he came to a conclusion. 

He was just gonna go tell him.

I mean, he’d been fine when it was Robin and anyway, anything would be better than feeling like this.

He resolutely stood up, and pointed himself towards the garage, but just as he started to walk, he was interrupted by the sight of Will walking out of the den in a huff towards the garage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Porky's is bad. The Facts of Life is good. Also, if you haven't seen "Milk", you should.


	4. The Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The past was the past, but maybe the future could be… better or something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, Billy POV!
> 
> Also, another surprise
> 
> Also, Billy's POV has a foul mouth, but that's not a surprise
> 
> Also, TW: Gay slur

“Fuck”, Billy hissed as he pulled the cigarettes and lighter out of his pocket. His head was swimming because in all the excitement of being at the Harrington Hilton (what a dumb fucking joke he’d spent the whole drive over prepping), he’d forgotten that he hadn’t smoked a cigarette in like, hours. His hand shook as he tried to light the cigarette and when he finally got it, he inhaled like he was on a respirator.

So you’re bi?

Why don’t you ever come hang Billy?

No one could spend a summer with Steve Harrington and not fall in love.

The conversation echoed in his head so loudly he couldn’t really be sure it was actually in his head. Why was he here? Was he really so sad and starved for human contact and fucking pathetic that he would beg Steve for a little bit of his attention? It was pretty clear he didn’t want him around. Billy had spend the months after he got out of the hospital driving Max to every “party” event, every stupid pizza party and bowling night and every time he’d catch Harrington’s eye, he’d just give him this stupid wave as Billy drove off back to another night of Black Sabbath tapes and cheap whiskey. 

The only time they’d actually hung out post-Starcourt was at Mandatory Christmas and Billy could fucking brain himself for thinking it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. They had drank and laughed and joked about monsters and Russians and it had all felt so goddamn… natural. 

Billy puffed on the cigarette and felt a lump rising in his throat. When the flayer or whatever left him, it was like everything else did too. All the anger, all the bitterness, everything he’d been holding onto since he was just a kid. He felt light, almost… happy. But, it was a double edged sword. Now that he had actually wanted to be around people, to have friends or whatever, he realized just how much time he’d spent pushing away every single person in Hawkins, Indiana.

He wasn’t surprised Steve didn’t want him around. Like he said, he got it. It would just be nice, since everybody else got a second chance in their little fucking family, if maybe--

His thought was interrupted by none other than Will Byers huffing his way into the garage, eyes red and puffy looking like he was about to collapse under the weight of his own teenage angst.

Will looked up at Billy like he was still possessed. Worse, actually, at least when he was possessed there’d been some fight in the kid. 

“Garage only has room for one existential crisis at a time, Byers” Billy said with a wry chuckle.

“Sorry, Billy, sorry, I--”

“Byers.” Billy stopped him. “It’s a joke. Sit.” He pointed to an unfolded lawn chair.

Will didn’t look like he wanted to sit very much, but he did. Quickly. Obediently. It would’ve made Billy laugh out loud if he wasn’t still trying to supress the whatever in his throat. 

Billy took a seat too and they sat in what should’ve been a tense silence except the fucking Byers kid wouldn’t stop sighing. Stupid, heavy, sighs like he was auditioning for ‘Death of a Salesman’ or some shit. He did not actually give even half a shit about whatever was happening, or at least he really wanted to believe he didn’t. But he couldn’t take another second of the sighing.

“What?” Billy said, looking pointedly at Will and he immediately burst into tears.

Fucking hell.

“Oh, shit, shit, shit, Byers, I’m sorry, I’m just, fuck, kid, you gotta stop crying, c’mon kid”

Will had finally composed himself enough to turn heaves into sniffles.

“I’m sorry, Billy, I just… I’m sorry” he said between sniffles

“Byers,” Billy started, still determined, but attempting to be much softer this time. “You don’t need to apologize to me, okay? I’m the village asshole.”

This got a chuckle out of Will, though still in between sniffles, so Billy felt a little better about that at least.

“Alright, c’mon, if we’re gonna do this, I’m not gonna beg, out with it.” Billy had very little experience being the local babysitter… Okay, Billy had no experience as the local babysitter, but he wasn’t a monster. Not anymore.

“It’s sniffle nothing, Billy, just stupid stuff sniffle”

“Okay listen,” Billy said, starting to raise his voice again before he caught himself, “I know I’m not Steve fucking Harrington, Hawkins own superhero, but I have a little experience being sad in the garage, and I’m here, so let’s just do this.”

Closer? Billy wondered to himself.

“... You ever feel different?” Will asked and Billy could barely contain his sarcasm.

“No, Will, as you can see, I fit in around here just perfectly.” And Billy couldn’t hold his laughter anymore. He checked to make sure Will was smiling and he was, so Billy hadn’t completely fucked this up yet.

“Billy, I--” Will started and he couldn’t finish. Billy looked down and his little hands were shaking.

“Byers,” Billy looked at him dead in the eyes, “You and me are the only two people in the world who’ve been through what we’ve been through. I know you don’t know me very well and I’m still some kind of monster to you guys, but if there’s one person you can talk to, it’s me, okay?”

Now, that sounded like some Steve Harrington shit. Billy almost smiled in self-congratulation, shocked at himself that he was able to--

“I think I’m a faggot.”

Everything in Billy’s body tensed at once. It felt like he’d fallen into a frozen lake. He’d heard that word so many times in his life as an insult, as the most degrading thing you could say about a person, he thought maybe he’d become numb to it until this little shit used it to talk about himself. Like instead of growing numb to the pain like Billy had, he’d… taken it on. Believed it about himself.

“We do not ever use that word to talk about ourselves, Byers, you understand me?” Billy was stern and serious and Will nodded looking utterly petrified until Billy continued, “That is a word our asshole fathers use. And you and me, we are not our fathers.”

Billy could see the tears welling up in Will’s eyes or maybe they were tears in his own eyes. 

Fuck. 

Billy was not about to cry in the middle of Will’s… coming out party, or whatever this was, so he steeled himself and re-engaged with Will.

“Gay.” He finally managed, “You’re gay.”

“I--” Will stammered, looking down, “I guess, yeah.”

“It’s okay, you know?” Billy met his eyes and lifted them to match his, “It’s who you are. People put it down because they don’t understand, but.... It’s just who you are.”

“Yeah.” Will said, not breaking eye contact with Billy. He looked hopeful. Like maybe something Billy was saying was actually helpful, which would be a fucking miracle, Billy thought.

“It was just... “ Will started and suddenly Billy realized he had opened the floodgates, “We were all in the den watching stupid ‘Porky’s’ and like as soon as the girls left all the guys wanted to talk about was all the tits and I just had to sit there and pretend to care about something I don’t care about, which isn’t fair! It’s not! And plus in all the freaking out about the naked girls, somebody forgot to tell me that there’s also a lot of…”

Will suddenly turned a shade of red Billy’d never seen on a human being before and only occasionally on Kool-Aid.

“Dicks.” Billy sighed and finally broke the silence. “Porky’s has a lot of dicks in it.”

“A lot!” Will whined under his breath and Billy finally felt himself relax a little bit.

“I probably shouldn’t have let you watch ‘Porky’s’. My bad.”

“It’s not just ‘Porky’s’, Billy! It’s everything! Mike has El and Lucas has Max and Dustin has Suzie and they all get to talk about who they like and which movie stars they think are cute and who from school is the prettiest and I never get to talk about anything I really feel and it’s not… It’s not…” 

And the tears were back. And so was the deep ache inside Billy. It was like the voice inside him had somehow jumped out and into Will. Billy remembered being that age and feeling all those same feelings and having to hide and shove them all the way down and having that turn into hate and bitterness and losing himself somewhere along the way.

He was not gonna let that happen to Will Byers. Fuck it.

“Who do you think is the cutest guy at Hawkins High, Will?”

“Wh--What?” Will blushed even harder than during the Porky’s penis discussion.

“You never get to talk about it and you’re right, that’s not fair. It’s shitty. So, c’mon, who’s your Hawkins High crush?”

Will stared at him so hard, Billy wondered if he was flayed again.

“It’s not a trick, Byers, and I’m not letting you leave until you talk about it. I’ve got like a dozen more smokes in here and I’m pretty sure I saw ‘Porky’s 2’ in there and that’s got like twice the tits and half the plot, so out with it.”

Will looked down at the garage floor so hard, Billy thought he might crack it simply through the power of his own adolescent embarrassment.

“You know Chad Palmer from the basketball team? He’s tall and he has brown hair and brown eyes and he sits next to me in Algebra and sometimes he leans over to ask me a question and he smells like, like…” And as if he suddenly realized what he was saying, Will put his head in both of his hands and Billy could barely make out a muffled, “Oh my God, I’m sorry, I just never talk about this stuff”

Billy lifted Will’s head and peeled away his hands from his face. It was time. 

“So, Byers, you mean to tell me you like the star point guard? Big brown eyes? Bad at math?”

“Yeah…”

“You know what that makes you, right?”

Will once again hung his head, looking like he was readying himself for an insult. Some deeply wounding word that would echo in his head for who knows how long. Billy knew that look well, he wore it more often than he’d care to admit as a boy.

“It makes you a Hargrove.”

Will looked up at him, confusion all over his face. “A… what?”

Billy burst out laughing and leaned back in his chair, “Yep, hate to break it to you kid, all the telltale signs are there! Asshole father? Check! Mama’s boy? Check! Big gay crush on a dumb, doe-eyed basketball player? Well, that’s three for three, Will, there’s no denying it.”

Billy could still see the confusion all over WIll’s face, but it was starting to be replaced by curiosity?

“A… A Hargrove?”

“Yep. You and me? We’re cut from the same cloth, Byers.” Billy said, looking Will dead in the eyes, eyebrows raised.

Suddenly Will’s eyes got even bigger than before and his jaw hit his lap.

“Oh my God”

Billy realized the idiocy of telling his biggest secret to, functionally, a tiny stranger. But, there was just no way he was gonna let Will Byers sit there and call himself… that. He just couldn’t. God, if he had only had somebody to sit and look at him and tell him he was okay at that age. The thought was too much and Billy had to put it out of his head. The past was the past, but maybe the future could be… better or something.

“Oh my God” Will said again after literally, minutes. “You’re in love with Steve.”

Billy sighed deeply. That was probably an overshare.

“Is Steve…” Will continued looking at Billy expectantly.’

“Sadly, Byers, I think it’s just the two of us in this party.” 

“That is sad. He’s so pretty.” Will chuckled.

Billy laughed out loud at that thought. Steve is so pretty. 

“Have…” Will started hesitantly, “Have you seen him in the locker room?”

“AND that’s enough gay sharing for one evening, kid, I’m sure your friends are wondering where you are.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry Billy, and… thanks. Can we… can we talk more sometime?”

“Yes, Will. We can talk more sometime.”

Will smiled brightly and fuck if Billy’s heart didn’t grow three sizes like the goddamn Grinch. 

“Shoot”, Will said, rubbing his eyes as he stood up, “My eyes are all red, the guys are gonna know something’s wrong.”

“Here.” Billy said and he put his lit cigarette between Will’s lips. “Inhale”.

Will did as he was told and quickly coughed smoke out of his mouth and nose.

“Tell them you were out smoking your first cigarette with Billy Hargrove.”

Will smiled even bigger than before.

“Cool.”


	5. The Impact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve was a car on ice, sliding in slow motion, just begging for impact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steve Harrington has no filter when he's drunk. If it's not canon, it should be.
> 
> (Also, I just noticed people have been leaving comments on this?! And they're so nice?!? This is a great website.)

Steve knew it was wrong to eavesdrop. Not, like ethically or whatever, he was just worried about Will after all, but wrong in the sense that it was exactly what every sitcom mom would do in this situation. Steve sometimes resented being called the mom of the group, not because he minded taking care of the kids, but because it just felt like a weird nickname for a 19 year old guy. He gamely resisted his motherly instinct for as long as he could, but the vodka had increased his natural curiosity and decreased his natural inhibitions, so he took another long pull and stood up. As Steve creeped over to the door to the garage, still holding the bottle of vodka, so he could listen in on a teenage boy’s conversation he suddenly became very aware of the mom-ness of it all.

Steve was just tipsy enough to not really care as he approached the door. He was trying to figure out the quietest way to press his ear up to the door when he suddenly heard Will say, clear as day

“Oh my God, you’re in love with Steve”.

His whole body tensed and his mind went blank. What kind of joke was Will telling? What the hell could they have been talking about? Steve’s mind raced with possibilities until he suddenly noticed he could no longer hear their conversation over the sound of his own panicked thoughts. He was startled by the sound of a lawn chair scraping across the garage floor and what was presumably the boys standing up. Steve darted over to the kitchen table and reached for the nearest piece of reading material, a TV Guide with Phylicia Rashad on the cover. Steve was too busy freaking out to note the irony.

Will burst back into the house, smiling with more energy than Steve had seen him have in a long time, maybe ever. He bounded over to the dining room table and sat next to Steve, just smiling, not saying a word. Steve gave him a long look, but couldn’t crack him. Finally, he’d had enough.

“What, Will?”

“Nothing! Can’t I just sit with my friend Steve for a little while?”

“You can, but you’re being weird, so out with it. What were you and BIlly talking about in the garage?”

Will’s smile brightened, but his lips stayed sealed as Billy walked in from the garage.

“God, you’re a nosy little fucker, aren’t you Harrington?” Billy said as he sat on Will’s other side. “Maybe Baby Byers wanted some good advice for a change, so he came to somebody who actually knows a thing or two about the way the world works.”

Steve bristled a little at the thought that he didn’t know how the world worked and it made him feel defensive. “And what exactly did Will need advice on that he needed to come to you? I’m just lucky we don’t keep straight pins in the garage or you probably would’ve tried to pierce his ear! The last thing we need is another Billy Hargrove running around here--”

Steve knew he had taken it too far and he immediately regretted it. He expected to be shut up by some witty retort from Billy that would make him feel about 2 feet tall, but before he could, Will stood up in such a huff that he knocked the kitchen chair over.

“There’s nothing wrong with Billy and there’s nothing wrong with me!” He shouted at Steve, before he started to cry, unbeknownst to Steve, for the third time that evening. Steve was stunned and he felt like he’d been punched in the gut, for the second time that evening.

“Will, I…”

He didn’t know how to finish his sentence, but luckily he didn’t have to because Billy scooped Will into his arms and whispered something into his ear Steve couldn’t hear. He pulled away and looked Will right in the eyes.

“Okay?”

Will nodded and wiped his eyes, “Okay.”

He turned and ran up the stairs without looking back at Steve, who was still sitting there looking dumbfounded at what had just transpired. Billy sat back down at the table and didn’t say anything either. What was happening here? Suddenly Will Byers was defending Billy Hargrove? Suddenly Steve was the bad guy?

The silence interrupted Steve’s train of thought, hanging in the air like a dense fog. God, Steve hated these fucking silences. They made him feel so small, stupid.

“I mean, what the fuck?” Steve heard himself say. He really couldn’t stand the silence.

“More specific, please” Billy said coolly, leaning back in his chair. Steve could feel himself cheeks getting hot and red in frustration or regret or passion or… something!

“More specific?!” Steve could hear himself getting loud even though he wasn’t trying. He didn’t want to yell at Billy Hargrove, he didn’t want to snap at Will, he didn’t want to be trapped in his house anymore and everything he’d been holding inside of him (including the liquor) was starting to bubble over. “I mean, you come over here and you’re dropping the kids off? And you’re-- you’re playing Clue and telling stories with Robin and you’re fucking mentoring Will Byers now?! You’re so fucking nice to me and to the kids and I’m sitting on the couch feeling like absolute horseshit because I didn’t invite you to go see movies or to smoke with me and Jonathan and--”

“You felt bad?” Billy interrupted with a wry smile.

“FUCK!” Steve shouted and started pacing the kitchen. Any hopes of even pretending to banter were long gone, Steve was a car on ice, sliding in slow motion, just begging for impact. “Who are you?”

“You don’t wanna know, pretty boy.” Billy said, the wry smile gone from his face

“No, fuck that shit,” Steve whipped around to look at him. Normally Steve didn’t curse this much and almost never in anger, but he was just… so far gone. “You know I’m not as quick as you or Robin and I can’t be clever or funny like you guys can. I’m not as smart as you or as cool as these kids think I am, so when I ask a question if you could just give me a straight answer, that’d be great!”

“A straight answer to the question… Who am I?” Billy said softly, without any sarcasm, even though Steve was certainly looking for it.

Steve took a breath for the first time in several minutes. “No.” He started, thoughtfully, “That’s not a fair question, especially coming from me. Umm… Let me think.”

“When the Mind Flayer left me, it was the first time since my mom died that I’d felt happy. Truly happy.” Billy started without waiting for Steve’s question. He looked at Steve who couldn’t match his gaze. “I took the settlement money the government gave us in exchange for signing those non-disclosure papers and got an apartment.”

“Max never told me--” Steve interrupted

“I told her not to tell anybody. The last thing I needed was the shitbird parade coming through my place and her trying to use my apartment as some sort of secret hideaway with that boyfriend.”

“I didn’t know, Billy. If I had known, I would’ve-- I mean, maybe I--”

“Don’t sweat it, Harrington. If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that you can’t change the past, so there’s no use trying.”

“What about the future?” Steve asked.

Billy chuckled before catching himself, “What about the future, Harrington? You’ve already got a best friend who, I hate to admit, is pretty damn cool. You’ve got your hands full with the kiddos and I’m sure it won’t be long until one of the lovely ladies of the Hawkins High Alumni Association is hanging on your arm. So where does that leave me, Steve? Like I said, don’t sweat it.”

With that Billy got up and pulled the cigarettes from his pocket once again.

“Are you really in love with me?” Steve asked and Billy stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t turn around, but Steve could see his shoulders slump. “I was coming to see what was going on with you two in the garage and I heard Will ask you or tell you or--”

“How much did you hear?” Billy droned low, like he was a fugitive, finally caught, finally at the end of the line. 

“Just that, I heard Will say it and I freaked out and went back into the house” Steve stammered. 

“You don't need to freak out, Harrington,” Billy rolled his eyes as he turned around, “It's not like you can catch it.”

“No, Billy, that's not--”

“And I’m not in love with you, okay? That’s how 14 year olds see the world.”

“But you are…” Steve trailed off, hoping Billy would finish his sentence for him.

“Oh my God, Harrington,” Billy threw his hands in the air, “You really need this shit spelled out for you? I used to pick on you endlessly, go out of my way to antagonize you, try to be anywhere in your proximity even if it meant I had to be your enemy to do it. Fucking figure it out.” And with that, Billy turned around and started towards the garage again.

“Okay.” Steve interjected and Billy continued walking as if that was the end of the sentence before Steve stopped him again, “Then that’s where you fit.”

This time, Billy turned around.

“I have a best friend and I have… kids, I guess. I just need a… Billy?”

Steve was proud of himself for a second, because those were really good words. Some of his best. He only had a second to be proud though, because suddenly Billy Hargrove was kissing him. And it was soft but urgent. Passionate but peaceful. It was somehow both unexpected and the most natural feeling in the world. And in that moment, they didn’t notice the music coming out of the stereo or the laughter coming from the girls in the guest bedroom or the boys yelling over the sound of the movie in the den or Will Byers choking back tears of joy watching them from the top of the stairs.


End file.
